The free outdoor MadArt exhibit on the University of Washington campus lets children gently climb on, walk through or lie under many of the pieces — and even add to one of them.
Twelve large-scale temporary artworks are scattered around the campus in open-air vistas and hidden nooks. Visit them any time of day through Oct. 25. If you’re bringing preschoolers, stick to a few pieces in one area of the campus (maps at the UW Visitor Center or madartseattle.com). Homeschoolers and weekend wanderers might enjoy the “treasure hunt” of following signs to the artworks on the entire 2.5-mile course.
MadArt is a privately funded organization supporting emerging artists and sharing their work in unexpected places.
James Harnois Look inside Sentinel’s snout for a surprise. |
Here are some of the most interesting pieces you’ll see:
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Sentinel is a giant robo-dog clad in rainbow-hued holographic silver vinyl. You can pet it or climb onto it carefully, but don’t be too rough or you might tear the vinyl. Look at the snout; there’s a surprise to see there.
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Relic of Experience is a cabinet full of open-sided boxes filled with white ceramic treasures, from fossils to plant forms to weird figures. You can place your own small treasures in the empty boxes.
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The Lone Stranger is a 28-foot-tall inflated cowboy inspired by carnival prizes from the 1940s.
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Untitled is a Mobius-like, wind-rotated, Mylar-ribbon sculpture suspended in a circle of huge trees. Lie under it and look at the sky and clouds and leaves in a new way
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Wave Sine is a wooden structure with a ramp leading to telescoping arches, reflecting how the universe curves or how light and matter travel through space. Run and climb on it carefully, or go under the arches, but don’t jump off the highest curves.
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Hortus Curiosus is set in the medicinal garden and features concrete “benches” and a “table” resembling old-growth stumps. It’s a great spot for a picnic.
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Six Swans sets life-sized puppets reenacting a Grimm’s fairy tale in a giant redwood tree.
For more details, go to seattleschild.com/article/mad-campus-outdoor-art
Wenda Reed is an art lover and frequent contributor to Seattle’s Child.
